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Springfield police fatally shoot 34-year-old Mill Street resident David Kingsbury after he came at officers with knife

mill street crime scene.JPG

Several Springfield police cruisers and the department's Forensic Investigation van were parked in the driveway of 128 Mill St., a large, gray apartment building in the city's South End, but authorities declined to release details of the investigation.
(CONOR BERRY / THE REPUBLICAN)

SPRINGFIELD — A police officer, fearing for his life and the life of his partner, fatally shot a 34-year-old city man early Thursday after he came at them with a knife inside his Mill Street apartment, police said.

David J. Kingsbury of 128 Mill St. was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center, Sgt. John M. Delaney, public information officer for the Springfield Police Department, said.

The officers involved in the shooting, who were not physically injured, have been placed on desk duty pending an investigation, Delaney said. Police have not released their names.

Delaney said police received multiple 911 calls on the tire-slashing, followed by at least one more from a caller stating that the suspect described as weighing 200 pounds, still armed with a knife, was breaking windows.

Officers were there within minutes, and saw broken glass all over. A witness ran up and told them “he just ran upstairs, he’s going to kill somebody,” Delaney said.

A woman told police that she had just been chased into her apartment by the knife-wielding man and that she feared for her life, Delaney said.

Police ran up the stairs, the man’s closed apartment door was pointed out to them, and they could hear a commotion inside as the man attempted to barricade himself inside.

After verbally demanding that the door be opened, two police officers forced their way inside and were confronted by Kingsbury, who was armed with a large kitchen knife.

The two officers were in close quarters with Kingsbury, within reaching distance, Delaney said.

They ordered him to drop the knife and stay back, but he did not comply, Delaney said. “With no room to retreat and fearing for his life and the life of his partner, one of the officers shot the suspect to stop the threat,” he said.

Commissioner John Barbieri and Deputy Chief William Cochrane responded to the scene right away. Capt. Thomas Trites and members of the detective bureau also responded to the scene, as did the state police forensics unit.

Barbieri notified the Hampden District Attorney’s office of the officer-involved shooting and the ongoing investigation, Delaney said.